The only surviving victim of “Suffolk strangler” Steve Wright has claimed that the other women he murdered could still be alive if police had taken her seriously.
The serial killer tried to kidnap Emily Doherty, then aged 22, in Felixstowe, Suffolk, in 1999, before he went on to murder five more women in the Ipswich area in 2006.
On Friday, the 67-year-old was sentenced for the murder of his sixth victim, teenager Victoria Hall, after he dramatically changed his plea and admitted the 17-year-old’s kidnap and murder on 19 September 1999.
It was just the day before that Wright had attempted to kidnap Ms Doherty, which he also admitted.
She managed to escape from the serial killer, but she has described her fury at being treated like a “silly little girl” by police, who she said refused her offer to give a statement later that day.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Ms Doherty said: “For 25 years, I have wondered what if. What if they had taken my statement, could Victoria still be alive right now? Or at the least, they could have found the murderer sooner. And then, if it was indeed Steve Wright, the London Road murders wouldn’t have happened.
“I have survivor’s guilt. I blame myself for not being more assertive and sure of myself, for not going to the police station and not forcing a statement on them.”
Ms Doherty ran, hid and frantically hammered on a couple’s door after Wright stalked her following a night out in Felixstowe on Saturday 18 September 1999.
She said she had not drunk much that night when she had joined friends and her new husband before setting off for her six-month honeymoon.
Describing Wright’s attempted abduction, she said: “For what seemed like 40 minutes or so, I was stalked by a blonde man in a yellow polo shirt, in a dark car. The moment he walked past me and said ‘alright’ in a slow, suggestive way, I knew I was in trouble. I have never been so scared in my life.
“When a couple finally let me into their house to call the police, I thought my heart was going to explode from my chest. I had never run so fast, nor jumped over walls like that.
“At the same time as being terrified, and relieved to have been let in by strangers, having tried three or four houses previously, I was also embarrassed. It was easily 2am if not later. The couple thought I was a troublemaker, or playing some prank perhaps. I had to ask for a glass of water. I wanted to cry so much. I was so scared.
“When the police arrived, I think they were special constables, when I told them what was happening, their first question to me was, ‘How much have you had to drink tonight?’ They didn’t believe me. I had to persist that the danger that I felt had been real. I had to ask for a lift home to the Ferry.
“To this day, I am furious. I wasn’t taken seriously. I was made to feel like a silly little girl.”
As the officers drove her home, they said, “I suppose you should tell us what happened,” according to the statement.
She told them the car registration, but she said they made no note of anything she said and declined her offer to go to the police station the next morning.
She said: “They told me to forget all about it. When the police decided they did want my information, I wasn’t in the UK. I gave as much detail over the phone as I could remember. I could certainly remember his face, but the number plate was gone.”
The night after the attempted abduction of Ms Doherty, Wright snatched 17-year-old Victoria Hall as she walked from Felixstowe and murdered her.
Wright, now aged 67, went on to murder five more women in the area of London Road, Ipswich, and was handed a whole-life prison sentence.
Ms Doherty said she had tried to “box off” what happened to her for the past 26 years amid the “turmoil and frustration of what ifs”.
Over the past few years, her hopes of finding closure had been raised, and she felt she was finally being heard and supported, the court was told.
On learning that Wright had admitted his guilt, Ms Doherty said she was “relieved but still spinning with 26 years of pent-up emotions”.
She highlighted the emotional strain of the case taking so long, adding: “I can only try and imagine how the past 26 years have been for Vicky Hall’s family.”
Details of Ms Doherty’s attempted abduction and Victoria’s murder were heard at the Old Bailey on Friday as Wright was jailed for life with a minimum term of 40 years.
He had pleaded guilty to Ms Doherty’s attempted kidnap and the kidnap and murder of Victoria.
In a statement, Detective Chief Inspector Matthew Connick, the Senior Investigating Officer for Suffolk Police said: “Today’s sentencing marks the conclusion of an extensive and painstaking murder investigation. 26 years ago, Victoria Hall was just two weeks from her 18th birthday and had her whole life ahead of her. This was cut short so cruelly.
“This appalling crime had a profound impact on Victoria’s family and friends, along with communities in Felixstowe, Trimley St Mary, Creeting St Peter and across Suffolk.
“I wish to pay tribute to Victoria’s father Graham, and her brother Steven who now finally know who is accountable for those shocking actions. This demonstrates that time is no barrier to justice.
“Special mention must be given to Emily, at the time a 22-year-old woman, who narrowly escaped the depraved actions of this man the night before Victoria was taken. We do not underestimate the impact that this night has had on her and continues to do so. I am glad we have also been able to provide answers and a sense of justice being delivered.
“Whilst this was a guilty plea, this was not an early guilty plea. Steve Wright made significant attempts to cover his tracks after the offence. He was interviewed twice by police over the course of two years whilst the investigation developed and he was in the court system for 21 months with legal hearings challenging the evidence.
“Wright was forced into a position where he had no alternative but to plead guilty to all three offences with the weight of evidence against him.
“This has been a complex re-investigation, spanning over seven years. I want to thank officers and staff who have worked tirelessly on this investigation to develop and present all the evidence in this case. Their persistence is the reason for this result.”
